How to Increase Add to Cart Rate: 30 Brilliant Ideas

As a metric, add to cart conversion rate is often overlooked.

However, most eCommerce stores face a low add to cart rate. 

Here’s a complete guide on how to increase add to cart rate and eventually improve sales. 

Jump to:

What is a good add to cart rate?  

30 ways to improve add to cart conversion rate

FAQs on add to cart rate

What is a good add to cart rate?

A recent report shows that the global average add to cart rate is around 7.83%

In terms of add to cart conversion rate according to device type:

• desktop has seen 8.45%, 
• tablet follows up with 8.23%, and 
• mobile is the lowest at 7.45%. 

30 Ways to Increase Add to Cart Conversion Rate

If your add to cart conversion rate is low, then here are 30 ideas on how to increase add to cart rate on your product pages.

1. Make the customer the protagonist 

Write product descriptions that feature customers as protagonists. 

This way, they can better relate to the product. 

This spikes interest in the product because of the Barnum Effect—the tendency to believe general information meant for the general public is meant for particular individuals. 

This helps customers make decisions while ignoring rational reasoning. 

If you’re wondering how to write product descriptions that increase add to carts– here's an example of Brooks Running applying it in practice:

Pro Tip: Use Before-After-Bridge  

The Before-After-Bridge is a copywriting technique that explains 

• the current problem (Before), 
• the situation when the problem is solved (After), and 
• how the product can make this possible (Bridge). 

2. Summarize your USPs

Your value proposition tells your brand story. 

It reinforces a customer's confidence by detailing why they should buy from you, invariably differentiating you from the competition. 

See how Tala visually outlines its USPs (made with organic cotton, made with recycled fibers, super soft) on the product page right above the add-to-cart to assure shoppers of their purchase: 

3. Use a white background to contrast

75% of customers make a purchase based on product images. 

Product images with white backgrounds increase the visual appeal of the product while removing unnecessary distractions. 

White background looks good on any website and brings consistency to your product catalog. 22% of eCommerce returns happen because products delivered look different than what was shown. 

Pro Tip: Add natural shadows 

Adding natural shadows to your product images gives them a realistic look and doesn’t come across as artificial. 

It keeps the product from floating and doesn’t make it look weird.

4. Use *rich* images 

While Shutterstock and Unsplash are great tools to source images, it’s important to have professional images of your product. 

You can also show how the product is used through a series of images.   

Also, using before and after images on your product pages gives customers a reference point to evaluate. 

This is effective because of the underlying principle of Attentional Bias—the inclination to focus on a single piece of information to make decisions while ignoring others. 

Pro Tip: Hover to zoom 

Enabling hover to zoom on images can add just that extra bit of ‘interactive’ to product pages. It also allows shoppers to see the product images in detail.   

5. Utilize psychological pricing strategies 

90% of customers actively search the internet for best price deals. Start using:

Price anchoring refers to the practice of displaying a lower option next to a higher-priced option. Commonly, the higher price is represented with a strikethrough. 

This example above works due to Anchoring Bias—the tendency to base our decisions on the first piece of information presented to us. 

This in turn helps increase your shopping cart conversion rate and AOV in one go – however, you can go one step further with:

Buy-Now-Pay-Later options split the financial burden into interest-free payments. eCommerce sites offering these solutions experienced a 2.1% increase in conversion rate.

6. Upsell smartly - without annoying shoppers 

Upselling can not only increase the revenue from your business by 10-30 percent but it is more affordable than getting a new customer to your website. 

But many eCommerce websites push it in a shopper’s face. 

See how Recess upsells its subscription model and lets shoppers select according to their preferences:

7. Display limited-time offers 

Limited-time offers invoke a sense of urgency plus scarcity. 

This is because time-boxed events attract value-conscious customers because of price reductions, bundle offers, flash sales, etc. 

It attracts discount-only shoppers and new customers to try new products and add-to-cart faster. 

8. Apply exit-intent pop-ups

Exit intent pop-ups appear when customers are closing the browser without adding a product to the cart.

While discounts are the way to attract customers, you can pitch free gifts or samples on purchase. 

Recognize new customers and offer them discounts on their first purchase. 

Here’s how Monica+Andy adds a twist to their exit-intent pop-up with a small survey. This way, the brand gathers customer data to offer a future personalized experience. 

9. Show reviews that can be *filtered*  

The average customer reads 10 online reviews before making a purchase. 

Most eCommerce stores do add star ratings near the product description to assure shoppers. 

However, the reviews section is often not shopper-friendly.

See how Bite enabled different filters so shoppers can select and see exactly what they want to: 

10. Use the single-price product bundling strategy

One way to compel shoppers to add-to-cart is by selling an entire bundle with an all-inclusive price reward.

There are 3 ways you can use bundling effectively:

Offer 2 or more products at a single price. In this joint bundling tactic, the customer won’t be able to buy the products individually but will get both products at a single price when bought in a bundle. 

Offer a set of high-priced and low-priced products together at a single price. This sort of leader bundling tactic attracts the customer with a leader product and also lands a sale for a low-priced product.

Offer multiple varieties of products together at a single price. While customers can buy some of the items separately, however, they’ll miss out on the bundled deal. 

See how GetFPV does it:

11. Highlight your shopping policies 

90% of customers opine free shipping is the number one incentive to shop online. 

It allows customers not to pay extra shipping charges—a leading cause of cart abandonment. Plus, it is proven to increase the average order value by 30%. 

67% of customers check the returns policy before making a purchase. 

An easy returns trust signal such as 30-day returns eliminates risk aversion and encourages new product trials. 

Pro Tip: Also use UGC

Dime shows a solid before-after image from customers to back up its rating. However, the real pièce de résistance is the microcopy below the add to cart button – which highlights a 60-day return period:

12. Show trust signals to increase add to cart rate 📈

Trust signals can add credibility and trust to your website. 

Regulatory approval from federal and regulatory bodies certifies the product for consumption. 

It assures the customers that it isn’t harmful to their health. 

TerraOrigin displays an FDA trust signal on its above-the-fold portion – and also shows how fast a customer can get their order:

13. Ta da! No surprises at checkout

Almost 50% of shoppers abandoned carts because the costs were just too high—21% of them didn’t like the fact that they didn’t know about it. 

Thus, if you want to get them to click that add to cart button, you’ve got to be transparent (and persuasive).

Here’s a perfect example of what you should add below your CTA to increase your add to cart to checkout conversion rate:

Pro Tip: Show estimated shipping costs and delivery times on product pages

Use geolocation by the user’s IP address to show a rough estimate of shipping costs for the area the site is getting accessed from. This helps you avoid surprise costs at checkout (ICYMI, taxes/customs should be calculated into your pricing strategy).

You'd also like to read: How Do I Increase My Website’s Checkout Rate? (25 Proven Ideas)

14. Reduce checkout effort 

There's a stark difference between checkout length and checkout effort. 

Customers are more bothered about filling the never-ending form fields than the number of steps it takes to complete a purchase. 

Make the checkout effort less cumbersome, by having a single name field. 

Customers intuitively type the full name in the first name field with 42% of customers doing the same. 

This is especially helpful while typing on mobile.

Hide Address Line 2 since it causes friction. 

Interestingly, 30% of customers reviewed Address Line 1 to assess if it was correct. 

For best practices, mistakes to avoid, and expert advice, refer to the eCommerce Checkout Process Guide

15. Use floating labels  

Floating labels help customers verify their information during checkout. It acts as a marker showing customers which step they are currently at. 

Once it’s triggered, the keypad on the phone pops up leading to a decrease in mobile cart abandonment. 

16. Write content that helps shoppers add to cart

10% of eCommerce sites have product descriptions that don’t address the shopper’s needs. 

If done right, content can help your page to rank better in the search results and also compel shoppers to add to cart.

FAQs are always the best way to show information gradually. Vertical dropdowns also make it easier to display more information without cluttering the product page. - Luke Perry, CRO Expert, Convertcart

Adding FAQs also helps your page in terms of SEO and product discoverability. 

If your product descriptions look chunky, then add symbols or illustrations to convey the right information. 

Videos are also always a great way to show how a product is used and solves problems. 

17. Show product comparison charts

Shoppers browse.

When people are searching online to buy something, they want information and they want a comparison of the different options. 

After they've settled on a certain product, they'll open 10 tabs to compare 10 eCommerce stores, but initially, they'll compare inside a product category. 

When people get to choose what they want, they'll be more likely to stick with you and add-to-cart products. 

18. Enable interactive personalization 

Personalization can help to create a personal experience for the shopper visiting your website and improve add-to-cart. 

Let shoppers take a quiz where they can select their preferences and then offer them relevant recommendations.  

This way, shoppers will receive better product recommendations and add-to-cart faster. 

19. Offer more than just chatbots   

It’s important to have a strong customer service team. Just a chat option will not do. 

They offer four different ways to contact experts to help shoppers on their buying journey, including online chats, calling through the website, booking a virtual appointment, and booking an in-store appointment. 

For shoppers looking to buy an engagement ring or a wedding ring, they can even consult a diamond expert. 

20. Create urgency with microcopy

FOMO is a proven strategy when it comes to increasing add to cart rates. Here are some ways you can apply FOMO. 

Shoppers are looking for informational nudges around add-to-cart buttons.

Hence, if what you put under the add to cart button is relevant and convincing, higher are the chances of a browser converting. 

Luxy Hair shows us how bringing in brand advantages under the add-to-cart can be a good idea. 

Pro Tip: Show low stock count 

A low stock count on your product page under the add-to-cart button will trigger ordering and purchasing since it communicates the demand for the product. 

21. Offer social logins

When you offer convenience, you create a favorable impression in a shopper’s mind. 

While 43% of customers prefer to use guest checkout, social logins can make the checkout process faster as well as help stores gather customer information. 

Pro Tip: Nudge window shoppers to wishlist 

This applies if you're seeing lots of add-to-carts but no sales (window shoppers have a habit of adding to cart, but not buying).

Having social logins lets you effectively retarget on email/ads - with baskets from recently viewed products.

Need more inspiration? We recommend reading: Converting eCommerce Window Shoppers Into Customers: 17 Practical Ideas

22. Enable sticky add to cart button 

A recent report shows that the mobile add to cart conversion rate is the lowest at 7.45%, compared to desktop. 

Don’t make your customers squint or hunt for the CTA button.

While your website might be responsive for mobile screens, it might shrink your CTA button, making it difficult to tap.

In such scenarios, try sticky add-to-cart buttons which are ever-present as shoppers scroll down the product page. 

Pro Tip: Use a mini cart pop-up with a “review & check-out” button

The goal here is to get people to checkout without adding friction—check how Beauty Pie does it with their sticky add to cart which leads to a mini cart page:

23. Display mobile-only coupons  

When you offer mobile-only coupons on your mobile product pages, it becomes an added attraction for potential buyers to complete their purchases on that very device. 

Make the discounts appear in relevant categories and product pages. Create a separate sales section for mobile discounts to avoid confusion and drive traffic.

Pro Tip: Easy discount code application 

9 in 10 shoppers use discount codes when buying online. So, consider showing different applicable discount codes that shoppers can choose and apply.

24. Add Whatsapp opt-ins on your product pages

If you see a higher bounce rate and want to offer a more convenient way to communicate with your shoppers, then take the Whatsapp route.

Make sure to promote the Whatsapp opt-in form through your social media and email marketing campaigns.

You can also offer a discount or free gift to customers who contact you via Whatsapp.

Pro Tip: Add SMS opt-ins to your product pages

This makes your brand even more approachable (and works as a micro-conversion). Just highlight the benefits of opting in as Tyla does:

25. Use the exclusivity tactic

Exclusivity is a strategic approach to create special and unique experiences for shoppers.

You can apply the exclusive tactic to pre order campaigns, limited edition drops or limited product stocks.

This way, you can generate curiosity and interest, and understand demand as well.

See how Sport & Rich invites shoppers to sign up and know when the collection or a product drops:

Pro Tip: A ‘Pre-Order’ CTA also works

This works if you have a sold-out product coming back to stock. Running a pre-order campaign such as“get it to your doorstep before anyone else” lets you boost cart conversions.

26. Reduce returns

When it comes to shopping online, many potential customers are taking a risk.

Often what they come to know about a product online can be very different from the actual product.

22% of eCommerce returns happen because products delivered are different than what they seem.

Customers then tend to avoid shopping from your store or even recommend your store to others.

See how Brooki outlines ingredients and allergy information to offer shoppers a transparent view of the product and reduce returns:

27. Offer live support

Many shoppers get distracted and confused when they land up on a new store. (especially shoppers not familiar with shopping online)

So, you don't want to leave them feeling stranded at those critical moments.

That’s where live chat comes into the picture.

Stats say:

• 60% of customers are more likely to return to a website that offers live chat
• 38% of customers are ready to make a purchase after a nice chat session

See how Aeropostale helps shoppers make a better purchasing decision:

‍

28. Add value upgrades

Stats say nearly 64% of shoppers would love free life-time warranties. 

When you sell perishable items or appliances, value upgrades like warranty, insurance, and shipping protection go a long way. This way, your shoppers see that “these guys are equipped to handle things.”

29. Offer free samples 🙂

Free samples are a great way to improve your add to cart conversion rate. 

Here's how Clarins does it by offering 3 free samples on their product page:

30. Send super relevant recommendations via email

Remind them what they’re missing out on. Offer extra discount to nudge them to act this time. 

Check out this browse-abandonment email from Coach – they simply recommend products based on browsing history:

What’s even cooler: the email takes the shopper to a product page with an express checkout option (note the ‘buy now’ CTA button in green):

How to increase add to cart rate - FAQs

Why is add to cart conversion rate important?

The add to cart conversion rate is the key indicator of how well your website is converting visitors into customers.

A high add to cart conversion rate means that your website is doing a good job of convincing visitors to add items to their carts, which is a necessary step before they can make a purchase.

A low add to cart conversion rate, on the other hand, means that some issues with your website are preventing visitors from adding items to their carts.

These issues could be related to the product pages, the checkout process, or something else.

Why is your add to cart conversion rate so low?

◉ Also answers: “What causes low add to cart rate?”

There are several reasons why you’re seeing low add to cart rates

Here are some common reasons why your add to cart conversion rate is low:

• The product is not relevant to the customer's needs.
• The product is too expensive.
• The customer has concerns about the quality of the product.
• The customer has concerns about the shipping and return policy.
• The customer has concerns about the security of the website.
• The customer has had a bad experience with the company in the past.

If you are seeing a low add-to-cart conversion rate, it is important to identify the specific reasons why and take steps to address them.

How to calculate add to cart conversion rate?

◉ Also answers: “How to calculate add to cart rate?”

Before calculating the add to cart conversion rate, first select the time period.

Add to cart conversion rate is the ratio of shoppers who selected a product and added it to their shopping cart while browsing a website compared to the total number of website visitors.

The add to cart conversion rate is calculated by the following formula:

(Sessions with cart item viewed) / (total sessions)

The average add to cart rate for eCommerce businesses is 11.73% (Statista) – and the average eCommerce conversion rate is 2%.

This is why we recommend reading: Why Are Shoppers Dropping Off My Checkout Flow?

How do you calculate the add to cart to purchase rate?

It’s just like how you calculate your add to cart rate, you start by selecting a time period. 

Your add to cart to purchase rate is basically your cart to checkout conversion rate. What do you check: 

→ the number of users who added an item to cart 

→ and then completed the checkout process for the item  

It can be calculated by comparing the number of sessions from the cart item viewed versus the number of orders placed for the same item.

The formula is : {(No. of completed orders from cart item viewed) / (Sessions with cart item viewed)} * 100

Recap: How do I increase my add to cart conversion rate?

1. Make the customer the protagonist

2. Summarize your USPs

3. Use a white background to contrast

4. Use *rich* images

5. Utilize psychological pricing strategies

6. Upsell smartly – without annoying shoppers

7. Display limited-time offers

8. Apply exit-intent pop-ups

9. Show reviews that can be *filtered*

10. Use the single-price product bundling strategy

11. Highlight your shopping policies

12. Show trust signals to increase add to cart rate 📈

13. Ta da! No surprises at checkout

14. Reduce checkout effort

15. Use floating labels

16. Write content that helps shoppers add to cart

17. Show product comparison charts

18. Enable interactive personalization

19. Offer more than just chatbots

20. Create urgency with microcopy

21. Offer social logins

22. Enable sticky add-to-cart button

23. Display mobile-only coupons

24. Add Whatsapp opt-ins on your product pages

25. Use the exclusivity tactic

26. Reduce returns

27. Offer live support

28. Add value upgrades

29. Offer free samples 🙂

30. Send super relevant recommendations via email

Over to you - Happy selling!

98% of visitors who visit an eCommerce site—drop off without buying anything.

Why: user experience issues that cause friction for visitors.

And this is the problem ConvertCart solves.

We've helped 500+ eCommerce stores (in the US) improve user experience—and 2X their conversions.

How can we help you:

Our conversion experts can audit your site—identify UX issues, and suggest changes to improve conversions.